Canada is a North American country located in the northern part of the continent. This article dwells on some interesting facts about Canada that you may like to know. Read on...
Canada was founded in 1867 as a union of the British Colonies. It extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean on the north and the United States to the South. The country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1982.
Facts About Canada
The first inhabitants of Canada were aborigines. The explorers from Western Europe settled in Canada during the 1500s and the country was named 'Canada' by Jacques Cartier in 1535. The name comes from the Huron and Iroquois word 'kanata' which literally means village.
Canada is the second largest country in the world, next only to the Russian Federation.
Canada has the world's largest coastline. The country has about one-fourth of all the freshwater available in the world. Many of the lakes in Canada have been created by the Glaciers shaping.
The largest river in Canada is the Mackenzie river. The six geographical regions in Canada are Cordillera, Interior Plains, Lowlands, Arctic, Canadian Shield and the Appalachian Highlands.
The official languages of Canada are English and French. These languages have equal status in the Parliament, Federal Institutions and Federal Courts. The other non-official languages spoken in Canada are German, Italian, Punjabi and Chinese.
Canada has ten provinces and three territories. The ten provinces are: Alberta (capital: Edmonton), British Columbia (capital: Victoria), Manitoba (capital: Winnipeg), New Brunswick (capital: Fredericton), Newfoundland and Labrador (capital: St. John's), Ontario (capital: Toronto), Prince Edward Island (capital: Charlottetown), Quebec (capital: Quebec City), Saskatchewan (capital: Regina) and Nova Scotia (capital: Halifax). The territories include - Northwest Territories (capital: Yellowknife), Nunavut (capital: Iqaluit) and Yukon (capital: Whitehorse).
Newfoundland is probably the first part of Canada to be explored by the Europeans. It became a province and joined the Canadian Confederation in 1949.
Alert, in the Nunavut territory, is reported to be the permanently inhabited place in the world.
The former name of Ottawa was Bytown after Colonel John By. He oversaw the building of the Rideau Canal. The name was changed to Ottawa in 1855.
Canada is a democracy. The Parliament of Canada is based in Ottawa, Ontario. The Parliament consists of the House of Commons and the Senate.
The main highway in Canada is known as the Trans-Canada highway and it travels from St. John's in Newfoundland and Labrador to Victoria in British Columbia. The highway is seven thousand six hundred and four kilometers long and is the longest national highway in the world. The Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific are the major freight systems in Canada.
Canada is one of the world's wealthiest countries. It has a very high per capita income.
Canada is a member of the Organization for Economic Progress and Development and the Group of Eight. It is also a free market economy. The market has lesser government intervention as compared to many other European countries.
The total unemployment rate in Canada is around six percent. It has been the lowest in the past thirty years.
Service sectors and mining have succeeded in throwing away the 'rural economy' tag to a large extent. Today, the Canadian economy is dominated by the service sector. Other important sectors in Canada are the oil, logging and the automobile industry.
Canada is an exporter of net energy. It has large oil and natural gas deposits in places like Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The Athabasca Tar Sands is one of the world's largest natural gas reserves, second only to Saudi Arabia. Canada also uses the environment friendly hydroelectric power as an energy supplier.
Apart from agriculture, the other important exports of Canada are lead, zinc, uranium, gold and nickel.
Canada has many unique places for a tourist to explore. The country's tourism is centered around the four largest cities - Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto.
These were some amazing facts about Canada. Canada is a beautiful country with breathtaking landscapes and multicultural cities to amaze and inspire tourists from all over the world. It is one of the popular tourist destinations and draws millions of visitors every year.
By Roy D'Silva
